General Raymond T. Odierno

General Raymond Odierno

West Point’s own General Raymond T. Odierno has garnered worldwide acclaim and respect for being able to stave off the threat of a 6-year-plus Iraqi insurgency. But not to rest on his laurels, he is now transitioning that nation onto a path of long-term stability and prosperity.

"Gen Odierno is known recently to the Iraqi leadership," said U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates. "He's known to the Iraqi generals, and he is known to our own people."

"The likelihood of him being able to pick up -- for this baton-passing to be smooth -- is better, and the odds are better with him than with anybody else I could identify."

General Odierno assumed command of Multi-National Force - Iraq September 16th, 2008, following his assignment as the Commanding General, U.S. Army III Corps, from May 2006 to September 2008 – the role assigned to what’s famously known as “The Surge.”As the day-to-day commander of Coalition Forces in Iraq, General Odierno was the operational architect of the Surge and was responsible for implementing the counterinsurgency strategy that led to the dramatic decrease in violence in Iraq in 2007 and 2008. Military observers credit his actions with turning around what was at the time a nearly impossible predicament, and put the U.S. on substantially firmer footing for a positive resolution to the Iraq War.

His accomplishments in Iraq date back to his first tour of duty in Iraq in 2003 as commander of the Army's 4th Infantry Division. The unit was based in Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit, and the area was home to the country's nascent insurgency. Gen Odierno’s unit was eventually credited for the eventual capture of Saddam Hussein. He is also noted for being one of few Army generals in history to command a division, corps and entire theater in the same conflict.

Popular culture has even had its share of fun with the general, and with the general’s blessing and participation. In June of 2009, he appeared on Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report” comedy show as part of an interview with comedian Steven Colbert, easily dwarfing his new sidekick with his 6’5” frame.  President Obama then joined the act, interrupting an already dialogue by satellite, ordering General Odierno to "shave that man's head" so to help him become a real soldier. He continues to poke fun with Colbert, most recently at the USO Metropolitan Club of New York annual awards gala in December 2009.

Veterans Advantage founder Scott Higgins meets with Odierno at USO New York Gala, December, 2009

But looking forward, the task is more serious than ever and the stakes remain high. Odierno is challenged with drawing down forces gracefully and without increased violence, both inside the country and from Iran, which remains one of his chief security concerns.

"I feel very confident that we don't have to make any decision until late spring (2010)," General Odierno told reporters in November 2009, about an August 2010 deadline to withdraw all combat troops.

"Right now I believe that we can meet that date but again if I had to (ask Washington for a delay) I would."

There are currently 115,000 American soldiers in Iraq. All US forces are due to exit the country by the end of 2011 under a security agreement signed between Baghdad and Washington last year.

WEST POINT

A native of northern New Jersey, General Odierno attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, graduating in 1976 with a commission in Field Artillery. His most notable classmate is General Stanley McChrystal, who is likewise heading military operations in Afghanistan, and trying to replicate similar success with his own surge.

Odierno’s class of 1976 is emerging as one of history’s most accomplished groups of cadets, at least since 1915, which produced generals Omar Bradley and Dwight Eisenhower. All told, at least 33 active and retired generals, now all in their mid-50s, were among its 855 graduating members in 1976. Gen. McChrystal’s deputy in Kabul, Lt. Gen. David Rodriguez, was a classmate, as was the officer leading U.S. efforts to train the Iraqi army, Lt. Gen. Frank Helmick. Retired Lt. Gen. Dave Barno, who spent 19 months as the top commander in Afghanistan, was also West Point ’76.

The Wall Street Journal credits the likes of Odierno and his other peers for its counterinsurgency expertise, which aims to protect civilians as a primary objective over killing enemy fighters.

“My generation is not afraid of change because we have been through it before and seen that it can be a positive thing for the Army,” Gen. Odierno told the Journal. “The difference is that now we’re the ones responsible.”

He is also the embodiment of a military lineage. His father fought in World War II, and his son fought – and was critically injured – in the current Iraq War. Gen. Odierno grew up in Rockaway, N.J., and a town of roughly 6,000 a few hours from West Point’s campus. He was recruited to play football, but injured his knee and finished his athletic career as a pitcher for the West Point baseball team.

General Odierno has fun shaving Steven Colbert's head during taping of "The Colbert Report" on the ground in Baghdad earlier this year.

MILITARY BACKGROUND

During more than 33 years of service, General Odierno has commanded units at every echelon, from platoon to theater, with duty in Germany, Albania, Kuwait, Iraq, and the United States. After his first assignment with U.S. Army Europe, General Odierno was assigned to the XVIII Airborne Corps Artillery at Fort Bragg, N.C., where he commanded two batteries and served as a battalion operations officer.

Following advanced civilian and military schooling, General Odierno returned to U.S. Army Europe and the 7th Army, serving as a battalion executive officer, division artillery executive officer, and brigade executive officer, deploying in that capacity for Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm. He later commanded 2nd Battalion, 8th Field Artillery, 7th Infantry Division, and the Division Artillery, 1st Cavalry Division. From October 2001 to June 2004, General Odierno commanded the 4th Infantry Division, leading the division throughout the first year of Operation Iraqi Freedom from April 2003 to March 2004. The unit was headquartered in the restive Sunni triangle north of Baghdad, and in a significant accomplishment late in the deployment, Soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division captured former President Saddam Hussein near his hometown of Tikrit in December 2003.

His other significant assignments include Arms Control Officer, Office of the Secretary of Defense; Chief of Staff, V Corps; Assistant Division Commander (Support), 1st Armored Division; Deputy Commanding General, Task Force Hawk, Albania; Director of Force Management, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans; and Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington, D.C., where he was the primary military advisor to Secretaries of State Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice.  During this time, he accompanied the Secretary of State on all diplomatic journeys and state visits, traveling over 335,000 miles and visiting over 65 countries, while attending international events ranging from NATO and APEC Summits to Pakistan earthquake relief efforts.

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

General Odierno has a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering from West Point and master’s degrees in Nuclear Effects Engineering and National Security and Strategy from North Carolina State University and the Naval War College, respectively. He is also a graduate of the Army War College.

Awards and decorations earned by General Odierno include two awards of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, two awards of the Army Distinguished Service Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal, six awards of the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, four awards of the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, and the Combat Action Badge.  He received the highest award in the State Department, the Secretary of State Distinguished Service Medal, and recently the Romanian President awarded General Odierno the Romanian Order of Military Merit.  General Odierno is the 2009 recipient of the Naval War College Distinguished Graduate Leadership Award for his strategic leadership and insight.

General Odierno has published articles on counterinsurgency operations in journals such as Joint Forces Quarterly and Military Review and has been featured numerous times in print media such as Time Magazine, US News and World Report, Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The New York Times and Los Angeles Times.  He has also engaged with several news media outlets, to include NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, CNN and BBC. Over the last few years, he has spoken with audiences and at locations as diverse as New York University’s Stern School of Business, the Institute of World Politics in Washington, D.C., the National Committee on American Foreign Policy, the Union League Club of New York, where he received an achievement award for his lifetime of service to the nation, the Links Club, and, most recently, the Colbert Nation.